Is It 1955 Or 2016? Black Woman Forced To Sit In The Back Of The Bus Before Being Kicked Off

Toni Young has recently filed a lawsuit over an incident she deemed “dehumanizing”. When the San Francisco native was on her way to attend a family function in Sacramento she took a front seat on a Greyhound bus.

The driver, Cynthia Lara allegedly asked Young to sit in the back of the bus because she was expecting an elderly passenger to board in Sacramento. Young explained that she would be getting off in Sacramento but Lara reportedly insisted that she move.

As Young proceeded to find another seat, she told the driver, “You don’t have to have an attitude about this.” Her comment enraged Lara who according to her lawsuit “loudly asserted that she did not have any attitude.” The bus driver allegedly muttered a racial slur at Young before calling security and having her escorted off the bus.

“It was shocking to me that we have an incident like this reminiscent of the Rosa Parks incident many years ago,” said Young’s attorney Michael Adams.

Young claims that she had to wait several hours for another bus and by the time she reached Sacramento, her family celebration was over. While she waited she reportedly tried to file a complaint but the security guard told her there were out of forms for her to document her incident and there was no manager available for her to speak with.

The lawsuit is seeking punitive damages from Greyhound. As a result of being publicly embarrassed Young says she now suffers from psychological trauma, including PTSD, depression and anxiety.

“It was the most dehumanizing incident of my life,” she said. “I will never ride a Greyhound bus again.”